Congress demands Rs 3,000 MSP for paddy

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Congress today demanded to hike the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 3,000 per quintal.

A delegation of the Odisha Pradesh Kisaan Khet Mazdoor Congress today met Governor Dr SC Jamir and submitted a memorandum to him addressed to the President highlighting the demand.

'The Government of India has fixed the MSP of paddy for 2017-18 at Rs 1550 per quintal by increasing Rs 80 per quintal only over that of last year's Rs 1,470. This announcement of the Central Government has distressed the entire farming community of Odisha,' read the memorandum.

In June this year, the Odisha Kissan Khet Mazdoor Congress had requested the President to impress upon the Central Government to revise the MSP of paddy to Rs 3,000 per quintal as the farmer incurred expenditure of Rs 2,400 per quintal of production of paddy.